The Welsh Government want your opinion

I have been mulling on this. The way I see it there are three areas to address:

  1. the people di-Gymraeg who value the Welsh language but for some reason don’t want to learn it. My suspicion is that many try (if the number of second hand Cwrs Mynediad books is anything to go by) but the experience of going to endless night classes for very little gain is daunting. Ditto the people who move to Wales. The present system with its emphasis on classes and books is uninspiring. They need to be offered an alternative (like SSiW). This needs to be advertised on non Welsh speaking TV and radio.

  2. there needs to be an earnest attempt to create a sense of play and participation in relation to the language. At present, it would appear to me that the language is an incredibly emotive issue. Non Welsh speakers resent what they perceive as an implication that they are less Welsh than Welsh speakers. If they don’t speak Welsh fluently, they will not use any Welsh, in case people expect them to continue in Welsh. It is like, you either have to be fluent or not speak at all. I think the emphasis should shift from ‘you have to learn Welsh’ to ‘we can all use some Welsh.’ To this end, small language teaching packages should be developed for bus drivers, railway staff, cafe and supermarket staff - anyone who is dealing with the public - so that they can learn some basic greetings and interactions. I figure that if you take away the ‘you have to be fluent’ attitude and give people permission to participate and enjoy small language exchanges, they may just decided to keep learning. Companies like Arriva, Lloyds buses, Coop supermarkets etc. should be encouraged to roll out such packages. The aim being that simple purchases and greetings should be able to occur in Welsh, anywhere.

  3. Cymru Cymraeg need educating - on how to speak in simple sentences to learners, how not to roll their eyes or mutter dysgwr to their colleagues under their breath, or tell learners a that they only speak Welsh at home with their families, or point out that they don’t say it that way around here. I’ve had all those things happen to me. Yet, at other times, I’ve experienced incredibly generosity and patience. If Cymru Cymraeg want the Welsh language to continue they need to be taught how to help learners.

Those are my thoughts for what they are worth. :slight_smile: v

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